BREAKING: EFCC officials storms Abuja Bureaux de change offices, Arrests many

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) officials raided the offices of black market currency dealers in Abuja on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, arresting an unconfirmed number of suspects.

According to THE PUNCH, Armed EFCC officials, raided The Sheraton Hotel area of Abuja to arrest some Bureaux De Change operators.

An eyewitness noted that the arrested suspects were dragged into waiting vehicles, as pedestrians gathered round the scene.

The Spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren could not confirm the operation when contacted.

“I will check and get back to you,” he said.

Earlier during the week, the naira had depreciated further against the dollar at the parallel market as it exchanged for N880 per dollar as of Monday, October 31.

This comes after the CBN made an announcement, that the proposed newly-redesigned naira notes would be in circulation from December 15, 2022.

Meanwhile, the commission expresses concern about the rising spate of cyber-attacks on banks and the reluctance of the institutions to report such breaches to law enforcement.

While warning that such reticence would only embolden the criminals, the EFCC appeals to financial institutions to collaborate with it to secure the financial sector from threats of cyber-attacks.

The EFCC had in the wake of the recent announcement by the Central Bank Nigeria of plans to redesign and re-issue higher denominations of the naira, warned Bureau de Change operators to be wary of currency hoarders who would attempt to seize the opportunity to offload the currencies they had illegally stashed away.

Meanwhile, the Kogi State House of Assembly candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ismaila Atumeyi, has been arrested with N326 million and $140,500 cash.

Atumeyi who is seeking to represent Ankpa 11 Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly was arrested on Sunday, October 30, 2022, alongside one Joshua Dominic, an alleged serial fraudster, in a sting operation at Macedonia Street, Queens Estate, Karsana, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

Also arrested in connection with the fraud is Abdumalik Femi, a former bank employee, who allegedly supplied the inside information that facilitated the attack on the bank by the syndicate.

The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that Femi was picked up today (Tuesday), November 1, 2022 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lagos.

“Following his arrest, a search was conducted on his home in Morgan Estate, Ojodu where a total of $470,000 USD was recovered.

“The arrest of the suspects followed months of investigation into the hacking of one of the commercial banks by a syndicate of fraudsters who pulled off a heist of N1.4billion,” he said.

The syndicate allegedly moved N887 million into the account of Fav Oil and Gas Limited, from where the monies were paid to several Bureau de Change operators and some auto dealers for exchange into United States dollars and purchase of high-end cars.